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Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Universal Pictures' Franklin Leonard has released his 2010 Black List of unproduced screenplays with the greatest buzz. He has been polling film industry colleagues from Hollywood, New York and London since 2005 to produce the list. He asks them to name up to ten scripts that they rate highly and have not yet been made. Past listed scripts which then went on to be produced include Oscar-winners Junoand There Will Be Blood. Last year's list included current awards favourite The Social Network. Other films that appeared on the list before being made include Lars and the Real Girl, The Kite Runner, State of Play, and Things We Lost in the Fire.

This year's list of 76 films was topped by College Republicans by Wes Jones, about Karl Rove
running a dirty college campaign with campaign manager Lee Atwater. It received 49 mentions from the nearly 300 executives. Next with 47 votes was Jackie by Noah Oppenheim, about Jacqueline Kennedy's battle to save her husband's legacy after his assassination.
There has been some legitimate grumbling that the list is sexist, as only 6 of the 76 screenplays are by women. They are "Arsonist's Love Story" by Katie Lovejoy, "Hot Mess" by Jenni Ross, "Can You Keep a Secret?" by Megan Martin, "Boy Scouts vs. Zombies" by Carrie Evans and Emi Mochizuko, "Lola Versus" by Daryl Wein & Zoe Lister-Jones, and "Prom" by Katie Wech.. None were in the top ten, and none received more than ten votes.

THE BLACK LIST was compiled from the suggestions of over 290 film
executives, each of whom contributed the names of up to ten of their
favorite scripts that were written in, or are somehow uniquely
associated with, 2010 and will not be released in theaters during this
calendar year. This year, scripts had to receive at least five mentions
to be included on THE BLACK LIST. All reasonable effort has been made
to confirm the information contained herein. THE BLACK LIST apologizes
for all misspellings, misattributions, incorrect representation
identification, and questionable 2010 affiliations. It has been said
many times, but it's worth repeating: THE BLACK LIST is not a "best of"
list. It is, at best, a "most liked" list. Enjoy. All black everything."

45 Votes: "All You Need Is Kill" by Dante Harper
A new recruit in a war against aliens finds himself caught in a time
loop where he wakes up one day in the past after having been killed on
the battlefield.
Agent: Creative Artists Agency -- Todd Feldman, Jay Baker
Manager: Management 360 -- Guymon Casady, Darin Friedman
Warner Bros. 3 Arts Entertainment, VIZ producing.

43 Votes: "Safe House" by David Guggenheim
A young man at a CIA-run safe house in Rio de Janeiro must help a
rough ex-agent escape assassins who want intelligence that he won't sell
them.
Agent: Agency for the Performing Arts -- David Boxerbaum
Manager: Madhouse Entertainment -- Adam Kolbrenner
Universal. Stuber Pictures, Madhouse Entertainment producing.

39 Votes: "Stoker" by Wentworth Miller
After the death of her father, a teenager must deal with a mysterious uncle who returns to spend time with the family.
Agent: ICM -- Nicole Clemens, Adam Weinstein
Manager: Industry Entertainment -- Eryn Brown
Fox Searchlight. Scott Free Productions producing.

32 Votes: "999" by Matt Cook
A gang of crooked cops plans a major heist that will require them to shoot a fellow officer in order to get away with it.
Agent: William Morris Endeavor -- Cliff Roberts, Danny Gabai
Manager: Anonymous Content -- Bard Dorros, Keith Redmon
Anonymous Content producing

28 Votes: "Argo" by Chris Terrio
The true story of how the CIA, with help from Hollywood, used a fake
movie project to smuggle hostages out of Tehran during the 1979 Iranian
hostage crisis.
Agent: CAA -- Rowena Arguelles
Manager: Anonymous Content -- Michael Sugar, Bard Dorros
Warner Bros. Smoke House producing.

24 votes: "The Last Son of Isaac Lemay" by Greg Johnson
An aging outlaw convinced that there is evil in his genes goes on a
journey to kill his offspring. In the process, he discovers that his
last remaining son is a terrifying manifestation of his worst fears.
Agent: RWSG -- Sylvie Rabineau
Blind Wink Productions producing

17 votes: "Better Living Through Chemistry" by David Posamentier & Geoff Moore
A straight-laced pharmacist's uneventful life spirals out of control
when he starts an affair with a trophy-wife customer who takes him on a
joyride involving sex, drugs and possibly murder.
Agent: ICM -- Adam Weinstein
Manager: Kaplan/Perrone Entertainment -- Aaron Kaplan, Sean Perrone
Occupant Films producing

17 votes: "Gray Man" by Adam Cozad
American operative Court Gentry, also known as the Gray Man, races
against time and teams of government assassins in an effort to save his
family.
Agent: ICM -- Aaron Hart, Doug Maclaren
Manager: Gotham Group -- Jeremy Bell
New Regency. Shine Pictures producing.

17 votes: "Imagine" by Dan Fogelman
A musician in his 60s tries to live his life differently after
reading an old letter written to him by John Lennon and Yoko Ono. Of
greatest importance to him: tracking down and reconnecting with his
biological son, whom he has never met.
Agent: WME -- Danny Greenberg
Manager: Industry Entertainment -- Eryn Brown
Warner Bros. Di Novi Pictures, Carousel Productions, Jessie Nelson producing.

16 votes: "Chronicle" by Max Landis
Three Portland teens become exposed to a mysterious substance in the
woods and, as a result, begin to develop incredible powers. They work
together to hone their skills until personal and family problems begin
to turn them against one another.
Agent: WME -- David Karp, Simon Faber, Danny Gabai
Manager: Circle of Confusion -- David Alpert, Britton Rizzio
Fox. Davis Entertainment producing.

16 votes: "Snow White and the Huntsman" by Evan Daugherty
A re-imagining of the story of Snow White in which the huntsman sent to kill her becomes her mentor.
Agent: UTA -- Tobin Babst
Manager: FilmEngine -- Jake Wagner
Universal. Roth Films producing.

15 votes: "Are We Officially Dating?" by Tom Gormican
A dating movie told from the male perspective about the lengths men
will go through to avoid being officially in a relationship.
Scott Aversano, Andrew O'Connor producing

15 votes: "Free Country" by Josh Parkinson
The owner of a tourist mining cave kills a rich boy who finds a huge
ruby. Chaos ensues when he teams up with his two dysfunctional brothers
to hide the body and fence the stone with the victim's hot-headed twin
on the hunt for his brother.
Agent: CAA -- Dan Rabinow, Matt Rosen
Manager: Gotham Group -- Lindsay Williams
Mandate Pictures. Rough House Pictures producing.

15 Votes: "Your Bridesmaid Is a Bitch" by Brian Duffeld
After agreeing to groomsman duties at his sister's wedding, Noah
Palmer realizes he has made the mistake of his life after finding out
that the woman who broke his heart is also part of the bridal party.
Agent: HML -- Bob Hohman, Bayard Maybank, Devra Lieb
Manager: Circle of Confusion -- Noah Rosen, Zach Cox
Skydance Productions producing

14 votes: "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter" by Seth Grahame-Smith
When the mother of future United States President Abraham Lincoln is
murdered by a vampire, he begins a lifelong vendetta to rid the world of
the heinous creatures.
Agent: WME -- Cliff Roberts, Jeff Gorin
Fox. Tim Burton Productions, Bazelevs Productions producing.

13 votes: "Hunger Games" by Billy Ray
Based on the book by Suzanne Collins. In an America of the future,
young boys and girls are forced to participate in a televised battle to
the death.
Agent: CAA -- Todd Feldman, Brian Kend
Manager: Management 360 -- Guymon Casady.
Lionsgate. Color Force producing.

12 votes: "What Happened to Monday?" by Max Botkin
In a world where families are allowed only one child due to
overpopulation, a resourceful set of identical septuplets must avoid
governmental execution and dangerous infighting while investigating the
disappearance of one of their own.
Agent: CAA -- Stuart Manashil, Matt Rosen
Manager: EML Entertainment -- Eva Lontscharitsch
Vendome Pictures. Raffaella Productions producing.

11 votes: "The Butler" by Danny Strong
The story of African American White House butler Eugene Allen, who served eight United States presidents from 1952 to 1986.
Agent: CAA --Risa Gertner, Maha Dakhil
Manager: Gotham Group -- Lindsay Williams
Sony. Laura Ziskin Productions producing.

11 votes: "Fun Size" by Max Werner
A high school senior is forced to take her weirdo brother
trick-or-treating but loses him along the way. With the help of a few
classmates, she tries to find him before her mother gets home.
Meanwhile, the depraved little brother is having the time of his life.
Agent: WME -- Danny Greenberg, David Karp
Manager: Anonymous Content -- Bard Dorros
Paramount. Anonymous Content, Fake Empire producing.

10 votes: "Arsonist's Love Story" by Katie Lovejoy
A young arsonist falls for a woman in the art world, which he desperately wants to be a part of.
Agent: CAA -- John Campisi, Craig Brody

10 votes: "Looper" by Rian Johnson
In the present day, a group of hitmen is sent their victims from the future.
Agent: Featured Artists Agency -- Brian Dreyfuss
Endgame Entertainment. Gordonstreet Pictures producing.

10 votes: "Murdoch" by Jesse Armstrong
As his family gathers for his birthday party, Rupert Murdoch tries to
persuade his elder children to alter the family trust so that his two
youngest children by his newest wife will have voting rights in the
company.
Agent: CAA -- Gregory McKnight

10 votes: "One Day" by David Nicholls
Dexter and Emma meet for the first time at college graduation in 1988
and proceed to reunite one day a year for the next 20 years.
Agent: CAA -- Robert Bookman, JP Evans
Focus Features, Film4. Color Force, Random House Films producing.

9 votes: "The 13th Man" by Enio Rigolin
An unlikely codebreaker is thrust into the role of hero when he
discovers a secret code being sent through comic books during WWII.
Agent: The Kaplan Stahler Agency -- Shan Ray
Manager: Heroes and Villains Entertainment -- Mikhail Nayfeld, Markus Georg, Dick Hillenbrand

8 votes: "Everly" by Yale Hannon
The story of one woman's struggle for redemption as she fights to
stay alive and unite with her mother and young daughter, all while
staving off vicious attacks by a ruthless army of yakuzas who have
trapped her in her apartment.
Agent: Verve -- Adam Levine, Bryan Besser
Anonymous Content producing

8 votes: "The Impossible" by Sergio Sanchez
After a major tsunami hits a beach resort in Yokohama, Japan, a
Spanish family on vacation with young children becomes separated and
must find one another amid the wreckage.
Agent: UTA -- David Flynn, Rich Klubeck
Summit Entertainment. Apaches Entertainment producing.

8 votes: "Murder of a Cat" by Christian Magalhars & Robert Snow
A darkly comic noir about a guy trying to unravel the mystery around the murder of his pet cat.
Agent: The Gersh Agency -- Carolyn Sivitz
Manager: Madhouse Entertainment -- Adam Kolbrenner, Chris Cook

8 votes: "Oz: The Great and Powerful" by Michell Kapner
Based on the books of L. Frank Baum. The story of how a con artist from Kansas became the wizard behind the curtain.
Agent: HML -- Bob Hohman, Bayard Maybank, Debra Lieb
Manager: Fineman Entertainment -- Ross Fineman
Disney. Roth Films producing.

8 votes: "Road to Nardo" by Mike Gagerman & Andrew Waller
Two guys drive to Mexico to rescue their best friend who is broke and without an ID.
Agent: APA -- Debbie Deuble, Sheryl Petersen
Manager: Circle of Confusion -- Britton Rizzio
Sony. Original Film, American Work Inc. producing.

7 votes: "Abduction" by Shawn Christensen
When a teenager who has always felt distanced from his parents
discovers that he was kidnapped as a child, he is thrust into a vast
conspiracy and must go on the run in order to survive.
Agent: Verve -- Bryan Besser
Manager: Caliber Media -- Dallas Sonnier
Lionsgate. Vertigo Entertainment, the Gotham Group, Tailor Made Entertainment producing.

7 votes: "Can You Keep a Secret?" by Megan Martin
After a woman spills her secrets to a stranger during a turbulent
plane ride, she shows up at work to discover that he is the recently
returned CEO of her company.
Agent: WME -- Sime Faber, Craig Kestel
Manager: Principato/Young Management -- Susan Solomon
Seed Productions, Laurence Mark Productions producing

7 votes: "Cinema Verite" by David Seltzer
Based on the PBS series "An American Family," cameras follow the members of a family as they go about their daily life.
Agent: ICM -- Nicole Clemens
HBO Films. Pariah producing.

7 votes: "The Claim" by Damien Chazelle
A father with a criminal past must save his kidnapped daughter, even
as he fights the claim of another couple who insist the girl is theirs.
Agent: The Gersh Agency -- Sandra Lucchesi, Frank Wuliger
Manager: Exile Entertainment -- Gary Ungar
Route One Films producing

7 votes: "Crazy, Stupid, Love" by Dan Fogelman
Straight-laced, fortysomething Cal Weaver is living the dream -- good
job, nice house, great kids and marriage to his high school sweatheart
-- but when Cal learns that his wife, Emily, has cheated on him and
wants a divorce, his "perfect" life quicky unravels.
Agent: WME -- Danny Greenberg
Manager: Industry Entertainment -- Eryn Brown
Warner Bros. Di Novi Pictures, Carousel Productions producing.

7 votes: "Get a Job" by Kyle Pennekamp & Scott Turpel
A comedy about a father and son struggling to find a job in the current job market.
Agent: CAA -- Gregory McKnight, JP Evans
CBS Films. Double Feature Films producing.

7 votes: "The Girl With Something Extra" by Terrence Michael
A young man who has been raised his entire life to believe that he is
a girl comes of age as he enters high school and learns his true
gender.
Agent: Original Artists -- Chris Sablan
Manager: Media Talent Group -- Chris Davey

7 votes: "How It Ends" by Brooks Mclaren
When an apocalypse strikes, a man halfway across the country from his
pregnant wife goes on a dangerous and desperate journey to get back to
her.
Agent: ICM -- Adam Weinstein, Emil Gladstone, Aaron Hart
The Schiff Co. producing

7 votes: "Hyde" by Cole Haddon
An allegedly rehabilitated Dr. Jekyll is pulled out of prison to help
hunt a new monster who seems to be using an improved version of the
Hyde serum.
Agent: ICM -- Lars Theriot, Ava Jamshidi
Manager: Anonymous Content -- Alex Goldstone
Dark Horse Entertainment, Mark Gordon Productions, Skydance Productions producing.

7 votes: "The Last Witch Hunter" by Cory Goodman
With the population of witches and warlocks on the brink of a major
explosion, one witch hunter must stop them before it's too late.
Agent: WME -- Mike Esola
Manager: Aperture -- Adam Goldworm
Summit Entertainment. Aperture producing.

7 votes: "Ricky Stanicky" by Jeff Bushell
For years, three lifelong friends have used an invented character
named Ricky Stanicky to get out of sticky situations. When their wives
demand a meeting with Ricky, the friends hire an actor to portray him.
Agent: WME -- Mike Esola
Manager: Smart Entertainment -- John Jacobs
Summit Entertainment. Michael De Luca Productions, Smart Entertainment producing.

7 votes: "Zombie Baby" by Andy Jones
After the zombie apocalypse, a young couple unsure about whether to
start a family has the decision made for them when they take in an
orphaned zombie baby they don't have the heart to kill.
Manager: Alan Gasmer & Friends -- Alan Gasmer, Daniel Vang
Unnamed Yorn Co., Alan Gasmer & Friends producing

6 votes: "The Ever After Murders" by Ian Fried
In a dark metropolis populated by characters from classical folklore,
detectives Tom Thumb and Rachel Riding investigate a murder that brings
them into contact with the city's most dangerous inhabitants.
Agent: WME -- Mike Esola
Manager: Prolific -- Will Rowbotham

6 votes: "Hovercar 3D" by Blaise Hemingway
Set in the future, an ex-con street racer has to transport a
whistleblower across country in a high-speed hovercar with an army of
authorities trying to stop them.
Agent: ICM -- Harley Copen, Ava Jamshidi
Beacon Pictures. Millar/Gough Ink producing.

6 votes: "Replay" by Jason Smilovic
Based on the Ken Grimwood novel. A man dies, wakes up in his
18-year-old body and has to relive his life over and over. With his
original memory intact, he takes the opportunity to travel down roads he
passed up the first time around.
Agent: CAA -- Risa Gertner, Jay Baker
Manager: Madhouse Entertainment -- Adam Kolbrenner
Warner Bros. Goldsmith-Thomas producing.

5 votes: "Alive Alone" by Khurram Longi
A London-based suicide bomber is having a crisis of conscience as he
and his cell are planning an attack in the city. His female next-door
neighbor, a drug addict and prostitute, has men who want to kill her
after she witnessed the murder of her john. These two find solace in
each other as they try to survive their respective situations.
Agent: Creative Artists Agency –- Robert Bookman, Martin Spencer
Sarah Radclyffe producing

5 votes: "The Flight of the Nez Perce" by E. Nicholas Mariani
The true story of Chief Joseph and his resistance to his tribe's relocation to a military settlement in Idaho during the 1800s.
Agent: United Talent Agency -- Charlie Ferraro, Jenny Maryasis
Manager: Circle of Confusion -- David Alpert, Britton Rizzio

5 votes: "... Jane Austen" by Blake Bruns
Two male friends angry at Jane Austen for creating unrealistic
romantic expectations among women today get sent back in time to the
19th century. The only way for them to return home is for one of them to
get Jane Austen to fall in love and sleep with him.
Manager: Brucks Entertainment –- Bryan Brucks
Brucks Entertainment producing

5 votes: "Hit and Run" by Owen Yarde
A young man discovers that the undertaker who recently hired him as his driver is actually a hit man for the mafia.
Agent: William Morris Endeavor –- Cliff Roberts, David Karp

5 votes: "Kitchen Sink" by Oren Uziel
A human teenager, a vampire and a zombie must save their town from an alien invasion.
Agent: International Creative Management –- Harley Copen
Manager: Circle of Confusion -– Britton Rizzio

5 votes: "O.K.C." by Clay Wold
An ambitious legal aide working for the Timothy McVeigh defense team
tries to get to the bottom of what really happened during the Oklahoma
City bombing.
Agent: United Talent Agency -- Charlie Ferraro, Barbara Dreyfus
Manager: Kaplan/Perrone Entertainment –- Aaron Kaplan, Sean Perrone
The Safran Co. producing

5 votes: "Serena" by Chris Kyle
In 1930s North Carolina, George Pemberton, with the help of his
father's money, owns and runs a logging operation in the Smoky
Mountains. George meets and marries Serena, a strong-willed, scheming,
ambitious woman.
Agent: International Creative Management –- Robert Lazar
Nick Wechsler Productions, Exclusive Media Group producing